A Knife in the Coat
by KatLady86
Summary: Time for closure...A mission to Tedon Tippidai and the final chapter!
1.

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language  
A Knife in the Coat  
Part One: Contracts  
  
Iria pushed the door open and staggered wearily inside. "That is the last time I ever take a job from those assholes," she muttered, flinging her cape roughly onto the rack by the door. "They run you ragged, nickel-and-dime everything down to the last kem, and then almost didn't pay me anyway! What kind of…."  
She froze as she saw there was someone on the couch. It wasn't Kai and it wasn't Fujikuro. It was a woman. Her dark hair was cut to just beneath her ears and her emerald eyes glittered. She wore a khaki colored tank top. The right strap was regular khaki material and came slant-wise across her chest, while the left was made of some kind of cargo netting. Her shorts were tight-fitting and black, coming to several inches above her knees. There was a black belt strapped around the woman's right thigh, presumably to be used as a holster belt. Her black, knee-high boots had large, clunky heels, a possible hiding place for a smaller weapon. Over it all, she wore a long, grayish coat that came to her knees. It was huge and bulky, an unusual sight this time of year given the warmer weather.  
"Who," Iria demanded flatly, "in the Hell are you?"  
"Shiv," the woman replied. She tipped her right wrist down slightly and a long silver knife with flame-like edges slid out of her sleeve, just missing nicking her wrist. With that, Shiv began to clean her fingernails with its tip.   
"You gotta last name?", Iria demanded.  
"Not that I know of," Shiv replied. "If I've done my job right, I don't exist. All records of me found their way into the trash can."  
"What do you mean?", Iria asked, but the woman only shook her head.  
"I'll get into it when Fuji gets here. It's rather complicated, and I don't want to have to go through it twice."  
Iria's temper was steadily rising. "I'll give you two simple questions, then," she said through tightly clenched teeth. "One, who do you mean Fuji? And how'd you get in here?"  
"Fujikuro," Shiv replied calmly, still cleaning her nails. "And Bob let me in."  
"Bob!", Iria roared, spinning to face the computer console. "You tell me why you let that….that….that woman in here right now, or I'm taking you cyber-ass apart microchip by microchip!"  
"Calm down, Iria," Bob soothed. Shiv smiled noting the edge of worry in his voice; computer or no computer, Bob still knew the dangers of an Iria in full explosion. "I let her in because I know her, Fujikuro knows her, and she's got legitament business here."  
"What business?!?", Iria fumed. "She's just some chick in a coat!"  
Shiv cleared her throat. "That's some *hunter* chick in a coat, Miss I'm-Hunter-Iria-I-killed-Zeiram-and-have-all-of-Tedon-Tippidai-pissed-at-me."  
Iria gaped and Bob laughed. "Iria, let me introduce you to Shiv, Bounty Hunter First Class. She's stubborn, irritable, cynical, and trigger-happy. You two should get along just fine."  
Iria continued to gape and it was Shiv's turn to laugh. "I knew Bob along time ago. And I knew Fuji even before that. We were friends, still are as far as I know, and it wasn't too long ago when I heard Tedon Tippidai has a contract out on you. I'd heard you're a friend of his, so since I don't like to kill my friend's friends, I told him about it. He set me up with a new contract to not just keep an eye on you, but to see to it that as many hunters as possible ignore this contract."  
"Fujikuro….hired you…to baby-sit me?!?" Iria's voice was steadily rising in decibels. "He set you up to keep me from getting hit?!? I can take care of myself! Boy, when that freeloader gets home….."  
"You'll thank him for covering your back," Shiv finished for her. "He's worried about you kid. You've been dealin' in some heavy shit, and he wanted to keep you from becoming a trophy on somebody's wall. By the way, you don't take care of yourself as well as you think. I've been keeping an eye on you for two weeks now, and if I wanted to, you'd be dead and buried about twenty times over."  
Iria gaped again and at that exact moment, Fujikuro walked in the door. He stood in shock as he saw Shiv sitting on the couch. "Shiv!", he shouted. "Jeez, you little bitch! It's been ages!"   
She laughed and leapt of the couch, launching herself at him and enfolding him in a bear hug. "I know, Fuji, I know. Way too long, if you ask me."  
A grin Iria had never seen before had spread itself across Fujikuro's face. "What are you doing here, anyway? I though we weren't gonna hook up until next week."  
Shiv's grin faltered slightly. "I've got some bad news, Fuji. Seems none of the Myce hunters would take the contract. So Tedon Tippidai brought in some off-world help. Iria's a target now."  
Fujikuro's eyes went wide. "Is there anyway we can take out the O.W. hunter?"  
Shiv shrugged. "I don't know. I've had a look at him and he's one tough looking bastard. I've never seen him before, but I'm told his name's Remington. Now, Fujikuro," she said softly, "I'll do my damnedest to get rid of Remington, but I've got one condition. You have to let me get rid of Putubai, too."  
"Why do you want Putubai?", Fujikuro asked.  
Shiv took a deep breath. "Fuji…..You remember how I wrote you about how…..how Jiko died while we were under contract? We…we were under contract to Tedon Tippidai. And Fuji……they wouldn't give me Hunter's Comp."  
Fujikuro's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean they wouldn't? Why didn't you take it up with the Hunter's Guild or something?"  
"Because they would have told me what Putubai told me," she explained. "Hunter's Comp isn't required. It's just become common practice, that's all. Putubai has Jiko's blood on his hands so I want his on mine."  
Fuji shook his head. "I can cover the Remington angle by saying it's a contract you've got with me, but Putubai? Not even a contract's gonna cover that. That'd be murder, Shiv. You'd been running all the time and have more contracts on you than you'd know what to do with."  
"Not if no one would take them," Shiv countered. "If they know why I killed Putubai, who'd be nuts enough to come after a hunter who did something they'd do themselves?"  
"A hunter who's so desperate for cash he'll do anything?", Fujikuro flung back in her face. "There are plenty of those out there, Shiv. The galaxy isn't as moral as it used to be. Sure, they might do it in your boots, but their not in your boots and they need the cash. Forget it, Shiv. I'll pay you on the Remington thing, but if you go after Putubai, you're on your own."  
Shiv nodded and turned to go, but Iria (who at this point was very annoyed she'd been ignored since the moment Fujikuro walked in the door) shouted, "Stop ignoring me, tell me what's going on, and what the hell is Hunter's Comp?!?!!?!"  
Shiv paused and turned around. Smiling weakly, she said, "Ask Fuji." Then, she left.  
Iria looked at Fujikuro as he sat down on the couch as though all strength had left him. Flopping down beside him, she said, "Okay, wise guy. Start talking."  
"Hunter's Comp stands for Hunter's Compensation," Fujikuro explained. "If two hunters are hired as a pair and not on separate contracts, and one of them dies, the surviving hunter receives an extra percentage of the contract money."  
"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Iria admitted. "But, was Shiv right about the part that it's not required? That they don't have to give you compensation?" Fujikuro nodded. "That's not fair!", Iria shouted. "Can't that be changed?"  
Fujikuro shrugged. "It's all a lot of bureaucracy. By the time its the general rule, we'll be too old or too dead to care."  
Iria bit her lower lip, deep in thought. "What was Shiv talking about about that Jiko person? What happened to her?"  
"Him," Fujikuro corrected. "Hang on. I've got something I want to show you."  
He got up, then returned a few moments later with a picture frame in his hand. He sat back down, handing the picture to Iria. "Who are these people?", she asked, gesturing to the three in the photo that appeared to be about Iria's age.  
"That's Shiv," Fujikuro said, pointing to the young woman in the trademark grayish coat. "That's me." He stabbed a finger at the young man to Shiv's left with a cocky grin on his face. "And that…." He paused, staring at the last person in the photograph. It was a young man wearing a long black coat similar to Shiv's. His dark brown hair was ruffled, as though someone had just run their fingers through it. One strand dropped down in-between his gray-green eyes and a roguish grin was spread across his face. "That's Jiko," Fujikuro said softly. "The three of us were best friends all while we were apprenticed. Jiko and I used to have fake fights over who'd get Shiv, but we both knew it would always be him. After we got licensed, the two of them went off together to start hunting as a pair. Then, not too long ago, I got word from Shiv that Jiko died under contract. The most I've heard from her since is when she told me there was a contract out on you. That's the whole story."  
Iria fixed him with a sideways glare. "I don't quite believe that that's all there is, but I'll keep my mouth shut for now. One more question: Why did you leave about two months ago and just disappear. You were off the face of the planet and Bob wouldn't tell me where you were. What's the deal with that?"  
Fujikuro smiled weakly. "About two months ago was Jiko's funeral. I went because I knew I had to. It was my responsibility as a friend."  
"Why didn't you take me with you? Or at least tell me about it?", Iria demanded.  
"Because it wasn't your concern," Fujikuro said shortly. "You didn't know Jiko or Shiv and……and…..and you just would have been in the way! You didn't know them! You didn't care about either of them! You just would have been demanding all the details every five minutes! I don't know why I even bother! You had no reason to go! That's why you stayed here!!" He opened his mouth to shout again, but all that came out was a soft, "Stay away from me."  
Iria stared in shock at his back as Fujikuro jumped off the couch and stalked out the door.  
  
He had just made his way to the roof when he spotted someone standing near the railing. "Thought you might be up here," he said, taking a place beside her.  
"You had a fight with her, didn't you," Shiv said. It was obvious by her tone it wasn't a question.  
Fujikuro sighed. "She wanted to know about Comp, and you, and Jiko……." He swiped the back of his hand roughly across his eyes. "I don't like digging up old wounds," he muttered.   
Shiv rested a hand on his shoulder. "None of us do. But sometimes we have to, for reasons we won't know until later, so that someone can do something today they never thought they'd do. Old wounds aren't that bad, Fuji. It's just you've always had a problem with them."  
Fujikuro glared at Shiv for a moment, then looked away. "It's not my fault I don't like being reminded about stuff."  
"It's 'cause of the fight, isn't it?", Shiv asked. "Because of what you and Jiko fought about before……" Her voice faded, the last words caught by the wind and sending "before" echoing for miles around.   
"You know," she whispered. "Sometimes, when it gets really quiet, I swear I can almost hear him laugh." She smiled sadly, wiped something from her eye, and turned from the railing. When Fujikuro turned around, she was gone.  
  
******  
That's it for now, I'll post more later. Lemme know what you think; reviews pleeeeeeeease!!  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ Ja, no da! 


	2. Old Wounds

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language  
A Knife in the Coat  
Part 2: Old Wounds  
  
Iria was frozen in the same position on the couch she'd been in when Fujikuro stalked out. She felt numb all over, not sure if she wanted to scream at him or cry. He'd just told her to stay away, told her she wouldn't have cared. *But I would have,* she thought. *I would have cared, because this hurt him and he was…..is my friend. I would have tried to help him get through this. Losing people you know…..it's not easy…..But to just cut me out of his life…..I didn't think he'd do that….*  
She was staring at the floor when the door opened, not bothering to look up. Still staring at her boots, she could tell someone sat down on the couch beside her. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to get rid of the silence that threatened to smother her. "I…Fujikuro…"  
"What did he tell you, kid?", a voice asked and Iria's head jerked up. It wasn't Fujikuro at all; it was Shiv.  
"He….he told me about Jiko…..Then he got all upset……," Iria offered up. "What happened, Shiv? I know there was something he wasn't telling me. What was it? Why did he just….." Her voice faded.  
Shiv sighed and leaned back on the couch. "That was one thing I never could get him to get past," she said softly. "You see, kid, the thing is, with Fuji, he doesn't like to be reminded about bad stuff that happened in his past. He likes to shove it in a trunk, lock it away in a closet somewhere and never open the lid, much less the door. We've all got dirty little secrets, skeletons in our closets….Hell, I've got a whole pyramid full, but that doesn't mean I like to deal with them. Fuji really doesn't like to deal with them. Iria….If I tell you this, do you swear not to tell Fuji I told you? You'll let me be the one to tell him, if I decide to?"  
Iria's eyes widened in shock for a moment, then she nodded. Shiv smiled. "I knew I liked you from the moment I laid eyes on you, kid. Now, listen. Just before Jiko and I took the contract with Tedon Tippidai, we talked to Fuji about whether or not to take it. It seemed okay, but as I'm sure you know, Tedon Tippidai isn't the most honest, reliable, or trustworthy bunch. Jiko didn't really want to take it, and neither did I, but Fuji thought we should. It seemed relatively easy, paid well, and he didn't see any reason why we should pass it up. Times were tight and easy contracts were hard to come-by. Jiko still thought it was a crock, and he and Fuji had the biggest damn fight I've ever seen. It all ended with Jiko saying he'd take the damn contract, and we'd all see what came of it when it was all over."  
Iria gasped sharply. "You mean….He took it because……And then……"  
Shiv nodded. "When I told Fuji what happened, he kept blaming himself over and over. The two of them had been best friends and now….He felt so responsible……He hasn't been able to get away from it…..Now you know. That's what happened."  
Iria bit her lower lip. "I won't tell," she whispered. "I promise I won't. It's just……I wish he would have told me himself, you know?"  
Shiv smiled. "I know you would have, kid, I know, but he's not like that. I wish he was, but he's not. You stay here. I'm gonna go up top and see what I can do about the World's Biggest Jerk-off."  
As she left, Iria couldn't help but smile.  
  
Fujikuro froze, knowing without looking that someone was standing behind him. "Iria…..I…..," he began lamely.   
"Sorry, bucko, she's downstairs on the couch. You get to deal with me."  
He sighed. "Shiv….I didn't mean to…."  
"But you did," she shot back. "And if you don't get back downstairs right now and apologize to her, I'm gonna send you down there at gun-point!"  
Fujikuro smirked. "You wouldn't."  
"Like hell I wouldn't." Out of one of the inner pockets of her coat, Shiv drew a small blaster, cocked it, and aimed it at Fujikuro's head. "All right, smart boy. March."  
  
Iria looked up as the door opened, gaping in shock as she saw it was Fujikuro. He staggered inside as someone behind him shoved him. From behind his shoulder, Shiv, grinning broadly, waved with her blaster hand. "I'll leave you two alone," she said, beaming, and closed the door.  
Fujikuro looked slowly over at Iria, who, he discovered, was meeting his gaze stare for stare. He let he eyes wander to something interesting on the floor.  
"Iria…..I……"  
"Have been a complete jerk, shouldn't have blown up at you, should have been more open, and beg your forgiveness," Shiv shouted through the door.  
The pair in the room couldn't help but smile. "What she said," Fujikuro offered.  
"I want to hear you say it," Iria said.  
Fujikuro walked over to her and dropped to one knee. "Iria, I was a complete jerk to you. I shouldn't have exploded like that. I know you would have cared. I should have told you. I am so sorry and I beg your forgiveness."  
"I forgive you," Iria said softly, leaning over to flick a green-tinged piece of hair out of his eyes. "Fuji."  
Fujikuro shook his head. "I was afraid you'd start in on that."  
The two looked up as they heard a sniffling sound from the doorway. "That was beautiful," Shiv sighed, a wistful look on her face. "Just beautiful. I wish I had a camera. Bob, could you hand me a tissue? Oh…..oops…..I forgot…."  
Everyone burst out laughing, except for Bob who sighed dramatically.  
"You're hopeless, Shiv," he moaned. "Why I put up with you, I'll never know."  
"Of course you know," Shiv said, grinning. "Before all I had to do was threaten to shoot your ponytail off again, and you'd bend to my will. But now….."  
Fujikuro laughed while Iria looked shocked. "What do you mean 'again'?", she demanded.  
Shiv grinned wider. "We were out at a firing range and I was having a bad day. I was really getting frustrated when Bob said I probably couldn't hit shit off a compost heap if I was standing in it. So I turned around, aimed, fired, and BANG!! No more ponytail. There was this funny little stump thing left, though……." She chuckled softly. "Fujikuro and Jiko were hanging onto each other to keep standing up and Gren had already hit the dirt because he didn't have anybody to hang onto to-"  
"Gren?!?!" Iria jumped straight up off the couch. "What do you know about him?!? What do you know about my brother?"  
Shiv gasped. "You mean…..you're….you're the little sister…..He told me he had a friend….Called her his little sister…..I didn't know….I didn't know it was……I'm sorry, Iria….I'm so sorry…."  
"What?!?", Iria shouted. "Tell me, Shiv!! What is it?!?"  
"I knew him, Iria," Shiv whispered. "I knew him. Met him through Bob and was reasonably good friends with him. The last time I heard from him was when he told me he had a new contract. With Tedon Tippidai. Something about a rescue mission for the Karma."  
She turned her eyes to Iria, their vibrant green color turned suddenly pale. "I told him to watch his back. Told him they'd probably stab him in the back to spite his face. I told him to come home safe."  
Shiv's eyes suddenly flared bright green and she kicked the door frame with surprising force. "Damn it! Why can't it be easy anymore?! Why are more hunters coming home with body bags than with payment?!? They treat us like trash while we put our lives on the line and there's not a damn thing we can do to stop them! I'm sick of it!! Just damn sick!!"  
She looked up again, embarrassment flickering in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Iria. I'm sorry. I'll be at the range."  
Swiping her hand across her eyes, she spun and ran from the house. Iria stepped forward, but Fujikuro laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let her go," he said softly. "She's gotta be alone for this one. It's her fight, her demons. Let her go."  
Iria looked at him, did not speak, then turned her gaze back to the empty doorway.  
  
  
*******  
Hey, there! Thanks for the reviews and support from everybody; I'm so greatful for it.  
This is all for now. Part 3 will be up soon.  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


	3. Skeet

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language  
A Knife in the Coat  
Part 3: Skeet  
  
Shiv raised the blaster rifle to her shoulder and pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot echoed across the empty firing range. She smiled slightly, noting the neat hole in the center of the target. Pressing down on the pedal beside her foot, Shiv watched as an orange skeet disk shot through the air. It didn't make it very far before it was falling to the earth as orange dust. She smiled again.  
"Nice shooting."  
Shiv's lip curled in a half-snarl. "I thought it was pretty clear I want to be alone."  
Fujikuro shrugged as he walked up beside her. "I've always been the type you've had to spell it out for."  
Shiv spun around and pressed the barrel of the rifle against his chest. "G. O. A. W. A. Y. F. U. J. I." She smiled. "How's that for you?"  
Fujikuro looked down at the barrel, eyes wide. "I thought you'd like to keep me around, seeing as how I apologized to Iria."  
Shiv raised an eyebrow and turned around. "True," she murmured, stomping on the pedal. Another skeet disk gone. "You know, it looked like you were proposing to her back there."  
Fujikuro's cheeks seemed redder. Maybe it was the sunset. Maybe not.  
"You came here for something," Shiv continued, blasting another skeet disk. "What."  
"To talk to you."  
"That's not all. Spit it out, Fuji." Scratch disk four.  
"Why didn't you tell her the rest? About Gren, I mean."  
"Would you have told her?"  
Silence.  
"I thought not."  
"It's not a question of if I would have told her. Why didn't you?"  
"Because I didn't think it was the right time."  
"When will the time get any better?"  
"When I say it will, damn it." Disks five and six are gone.  
"It wasn't anything major. It was a harmless-"  
"Harmless to you, maybe. You're not the one he did it to."  
"Why is it all so touchy with you all of a sudden?"  
"It just is……Come on. It was a bit of a shock, you know? Why the hell didn't you tell me she was Gren's 'little sister'?"  
"Because I was afraid of something like this. I didn't think it would come up."  
"There's the intelligent statement of the year." Seven, eight, and nine are no longer among us.  
"Okay, it was shitty planning. Why can't you just let it go?"  
"I don't let go of things well. Please, Fuji. You know the thing I let go of the easiest is a grenade."  
"Very true."  
"Is there anything else you have to say?"  
"Not really. You mind if I watch you shoot?"  
"Not really." Disk ten is gone.  
  
The last light of the setting sun was slowly fading away and the automatic lamps at the range were kicking in. Iria walked gingerly up behind Shiv. The woman was damn good with a blaster rifle, and the last thing Iria wanted was a bolt in the chest because she startled her.  
"You can stop sneaking now. I know you're there," Shiv called without turning around.  
Iria relaxed. "Sorry, just didn't want to startle you."  
"How could you startle me when I heard your creeper well before I heard you?"  
Iria couldn't think of anything to say. Then, it came to her. "Where's Fujikuro?"  
"He left a little while ago. But you didn't come here about him, did you." There was no question in the other woman's tone.  
"You're right." Iria paused. "I…I want to know what happened between you and Gren. Okay, so he wasn't my real brother, but he was all I had for one. What happened between the two of you that hurt you so bad?"  
Shiv smiled wanly. "You know, I think it hurt me more than him? I was better friends with Gren than I told you. He was nice, and I cared a lot about the guy, but I wasn't in love with him. Thing is….he was in love with me. I didn't know it at first. Then one night, we were out walking somewhere, I don't remember where Jiko was, and he tells me how he feels. I was….in total shock. I explained to him, rather poorly, looking back on it, how I felt about him, and it was like I'd shot him. He just got this funny look on his face, mumbled something, and ran off before I could stop him. We still kept being friends, but…it never quite went back to being the way it was before. I've never quite forgiven myself for what I said that night. I don't remember what it was, but I know it was wrong."  
She looked off into the darkness, and, as though laying eyes on an old fried, smiled. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she turned back to Iria. "We'd better be getting back. It's getting late."  
"You want a ride in the creeper?", Iria offered.   
Shiv waved her off. "Thanks, but I'll use my ship."  
"Your ship?" Iria raised an eyebrow.  
Shiv grinned. "You wanna see it?"  
Iria nodded enthusiastically and Shiv laughed. "Okay, okay. This way."  
They walked out of the range and over to a large black shape in the darkness. Shiv pushed up her coat sleeve and pressed a button on her wristband. "Voice authorization required," chirped an overly pleasant female voice.   
"Shiv," the woman said. "Turn on the damn exterior lights!"  
There was a soft whirring sound, then the voice said, "99% match confirmed, allowing for fluctuations due to emotion and background noise. Processing request."  
Shiv grinned again. "Ain't she great? Maybe we should hook her up with Bob. What do you think?"  
Iria laughed. "I'm sure he'd love it."  
Before she could say more, the lights clicked on. Iria gasped. The craft was sleeker than anything she'd ever laid eyes on, a perfect bullet shape for maximum speed. She could just make out faint lines on the bulkheads, signs of hidden doors for hidden weapons. From nose to deadly pointed tail, the whole thing was a gorgeous black-silver that seemed positively ethereal in the moonlight.   
"Listen, you want to ride with me?", Shiv offered. "I can tow your creeper and you can take the co-pilot seat. What do you say?"   
Iria thought for a moment, then nodded. Shiv smiled. "Hop in and buckle up tight. We're going pretty fast."  
The two women leapt into their respective seats and strapped in. Shiv pressed several more buttons on her wristband. "Daine, talk to creeper, owner name: Iria. Engage tow program."  
"Processing request," chirped the computer.   
While Daine complied, Iria couldn't help but ask, "How'd she get the name 'Daine"?"  
"Digital, analytical, intelligent, neural entity," Shiv recited. "Programmed her myself. She can be a pain the ass, but comes in more handy than you might think. Come on, let's head back. Did I mention hang on?"  
Shiv slammed the throttle forward, pressing Iria into the back of the seat. Iria sent a frightened glance in Shiv's direction as she navigated tight curves with reckless abandon. Noting Iria's shock, Shiv threw back her head and laughed.   
"Don't worry, kid," she assured. "I grew up here. I know this place like the back of my hand…..Except for that!!"  
She stomped the brakes to the floor as she spotted an entire row of Tedon Tippidai robotic guards blocking their path.  
"What the hell are you doing here?", Shiv yelled, standing up in her seat.   
"You are in violation of the speed limit," the robot captain said in a tinny voice. "We will have to extract from either your person or your account 700 kem."  
Shiv let loose the most vile oath Iria had ever heard. "700 kem?!? Where the hell do you think we are?! A residential neighborhood?!? We're in the middle of a God-damned No Man's Land and you want 700 kem for speeding?!?! I don't think so, you robotic son of a bitch! You can have two things. First, your mother was a toaster oven! And second, you can have 700 rounds!!"   
Drawing the blaster rifle, she squeezed hard on the trigger and swung it in a wide arc. A large gap opened in the robot lines and Shiv took the opportunity. "Daine, max thrust! Full defensive countermeasures!"  
She dropped with practiced ease back into her seat as the shields came up. Strapping back in, she typed frantically on the console. "Daine, open exterior doors. We've got company and I'd like to introduce them to Ship's weaponry."  
"Processing," Daine chirped and Iria raised an eyebrow.  
"Ship?"  
Shiv grinned sheepishly. "I couldn't come up with a decent name for the damn thing, so I settled for Ship. Suits her, neh?" Suddenly, she turned back to the console. "Daine, weapons lock. Multiple targets. I want full capacity shots going out. Anything less and I want to know what we can sacrifice to get the weapons back up."  
"Processing……Full capacity shots available for the next two minutes. After that systems will need to be sacrificed in order to maintain."  
Shiv nodded. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 'Till then, I'm gonna try and make it back in two minutes."  
"You're gonna do what?!?!", Iria shrieked, gripping the arms of her seat tightly.   
"You heard me," Shiv said through clenched teeth. "Cross your fingers, kid." With that, she shoved the throttle forward and Iria shouted something that was lost in the roar of the engines.  
  
Fujikuro paced in front of the computer console. "Where the hell are those two?!?!", he snarled. "If they don't show up in the next minute, I'm going-"  
The door slammed open. "No need," Shiv growled from the doorway.  
She and Iria stood there, looking scared, bedraggled, and considerably worse for wear. "Gentlemen," Shiv grinned wickedly, "since Tedon Tippidai wants to see us so badly, why don't we pay them a little visit?"  
  
******  
Hehe, scratch part 3. BTW, anyone who can tell me where I really got the name "Daine" from wins something swell. (Anyone but you, Mara-chan. You all ready know. *grins*)  
Well, see ya in part 4!  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/  
PS - First Iria story on FF.net? Check the publication dates.... 


	4. Wolf's Head

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language  
A Knife in the Coat  
Part 4: Wolf's Head  
  
Shiv tossed her coat on the couch and slung two bandoleers across her chest. Rummaging through the pockets of her coat, she pulled out four blasters, put two in hip holsters, and put the other two in holsters under her arms. After strapping a fifth blaster to her thigh belt, Shiv checked her pockets again to be sure she had everything, then pulled the coat on. Picking up the blaster rifle, she turned to Iria and Fujikuro.  
"Let's get going," she said. "You two take the creeper; I'll take Ship. That way, if we get separated, we can both get out of there."  
The other two nodded and they headed to their separate vehicles.   
  
"Shiv, are you sure you should be driving this fast?", Bob asked, sounding rather nervous.  
"What are you worried about?", Shiv snapped. "You can't die twice!"  
There was a pause and Shiv smiled. "Worried about me, are we?" She laughed. "Sweet, but unnecessary. You always did have a soft spot for me."  
If computers could blush, this one would have. Shiv laughed again. "Why don't you have a chat with Daine? If your good I'll let you go on a date. But be back by 11."  
While Bob made irate sputtering noises, Shiv pressed a button on the console and said, "Connection terminated."  
  
"Should she be going that fast?", Fujikuro asked.  
Iria shrugged. "Probably not. But that doesn't mean she won't."  
Fujikuro winced. "Looks damn scary to me."  
"It's scarier riding in it."  
Fujikuro looked over at her. "You were in that thing and she drove that fast before?"  
"How else do you think we made it back in less than two minutes?"  
Fujikuro's eyes were wide. He swallowed nervously. "Glad it wasn't me."  
"So glad you were concerned for MY safety," Iria muttered.  
Fujikuro looked a little hurt. "I was. I just….um…hadn't gotten to that part yet."  
"Whatever you say." Iria revved the engines and urged the creeper faster.  
  
"Mr. Putubai…um….Sir? We have a problem….," the guard stuttered.  
Putubai looked up from his desk. "What do you mean 'a problem'?", he demanded.   
"Sir……" The guard tugged at his collar. "There's three hunters….Headed this way….In fact…..One of them is in the building, sir…." He dropped a piece of paper on the desk. "Pictures from the surveillance tapes…..Do you know them, sir?"  
Putubai clutched at the print-out frantically. "Double the guard!", he ordered. "Nobody gets in or out! If anyone does, it will mean your job….and your head!"  
The guard swallowed nervously and ran from the room.  
"It's so hard to find good help these days," a voice purred from behind Putubai's chair.   
Before he could turn around, he felt cold steel against his throat. "Don't move," the voice hissed. "Unless, of course, you want to bleed out all over this nice shirt of yours."  
"Who the hell are you?", Putubai whispered, fear straining his voice.  
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your old buddy Shiv," the voice said, a note of faked sorrow in the words. "I'm serious. Don't tell me." She let the flame-like edges of the knife dance across his throat, leaving a thin red line in their wake. "You can call in your guards if you like. However, a wolf's head cut off can still bite. Even if they shoot me, I'll still have time to see that you don't give them any more orders."  
"What do you want?", Putubai asked, his voice unusually high.  
Shiv smiled. "That's more like it," she grinned. "I want my compensation. And I want your blood. Give me the money or I'll slit your throat and find it myself."  
With shaking hands, Putubai pressed a button under his desk and a hidden drawer slid open. A sleek black case lay inside.  
"That's it," Putubai hissed. "That's all of it. Take it. Go. Please. Leave an old man to die."  
Shiv snorted. "For an old man, you've got more lives than a hundred cats. I will finish what I start. If your blood isn't mine now, it'll be mine soon enough. Remember, Putubai, and be afraid."  
There was a banging sound on the door and shouting from the other side. Shiv snatched the case up and ran to the window. "You can live your life, such as it is, for a little while longer. But remember, and be afraid." She drew a finger across her throat to illustrate her point. Putubai swallowed nervously. Shiv smiled and leapt out the window.  
  
  
Fujikuro and Iria crouched as low possible behind their temporary shield up on the roof. Every so often, they'd turn and fire and the row of Tedon Tippidai guards hunkered down on the other side of the roof. It was a stalemate; no one was going anywhere.  
"Where the hell is she?!?", Fujikuro roared. "How long does it take to slit a man's throat?!?"  
"I wouldn't know," came a voice behind them. "The bastard lives." They turned around to see Shiv standing there with a small black case. She dropped to the roof and scuttled over beside them. "I've got the cash, though, so it wasn't a total loss."  
"Great," Fujikuro snapped. "Can we get out of here now?"  
Shiv smiled. "Sure, Fuji. But I thought we were having fun." She drew a small orb from a pocket and threw it in the direction of the guards. There was the sound of a soft explosion and startled cries from across the roof.   
Iria raised an eyebrow. "Those things come in handy." Then, she turned to her gun, checked the chamber, and swore. "Outta ammo."  
"What size cartridge you need?", Shiv asked.   
"8 ½ standard. Why?"  
"Here you go," Shiv said, pressing the 8 ½ size cartridge into her palm.   
"You got any 9 and ¾ specials?", Fujikuro asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Shiv tossed him the cartridge and he looked shocked. "What else do you have in that coat?", Fujikuro asked, amazed.  
Shiv grinned. "If you're a good boy, I might show you."  
Fujikuro turned a shade similar to Iria's hair.   
Suddenly, they were incredibly aware of how quiet it was on the roof. Shiv took a tentative step up and her jaw dropped. "You guys," she whispered, "they pulled out! They're gone!"  
Iria and Fujikuro leapt up. "You're right!", Iria exclaimed. "I can't believe it!" Then, she turned to Shiv and asked, "What do you put in those little grenades of yours, anyway?"  
Shiv laughed. "Who cares? We got rid of them!!" She threw back her head and yelled her defiance at the sky. Despite themselves, Iria and Fujikuro began laughing as well, then began jumping up and down and hugging, It was several moments before they realized Shiv was staring at them and several more before they realized exactly what she was staring at.   
"Oh….Um…I'm sorry…"  
"Me, too….Caught up in the moment I guess…"  
"I suppose we'd better…"  
But before they could part, there was a flash of light. Iria and Fujikuro turned to see Shiv grinning widely and holding a camera. "I always come prepared. After the last incident, I made sure I always have one of these."  
The pair sputtered angrily, but before they could say more, large flares came rocketing up the side of the building. Shiv yelped and they fell to the roof. "I think we'd better get out of here," she hissed. The others nodded their sentiments.   
Slowly, Shiv began to crawl towards the side of the roof where the rockets were coming from. "Are you crazy?!?", Fujikuro demanded. She didn't answer.  
Reaching the edge, she called to them, "I'll distract them. You two get off the other side and head for the creeper. Meet you back home."  
With no further warning, Shiv dove off the side. Iria screamed, Fujikuro shouted, and from two throats came guttural moans that were like the sound of dying creatures in pain beyond all description. Not caring about anything save being comforted, Iria sobbed and buried her face in Fujikuro's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, his voice catching every so often with sobs that could not be contained. It may have been years before they finally left the roof; it may have been minutes. Staggering onward like the walking wounded, the pair made it to the creeper. Iria drove without being asked. Her vision was blurred by tears, but she knew the way and she knew if Fujikuro drove, he would be far blinder than she and end up driving like Shiv. The thought of the surely-dead bounty huntress brought another sob to her throat and the creeper swerved. Fujikuro didn't notice.  
  
When the teary-eyed pair walked in the door, surprises greeted them. Kei was sitting on the couch, twirling something between her fingers. "Where were you?", Iria choked out.  
"Botherin' Grandpa," Kei said, still twirling the object. Iria found herself sighing. Annoying Dr. Toulka had become one of Kei's favorite pastimes. "By the way, the bloody lady told me to give you this." She walked up to Iria and handed her a small, folded-up piece of paper.   
Iria swiped the back of her hand across her cheek and opened the note. It read as follows:  
  
Hey, you two. Quit crying or I'll have to drive back here and make you. Sorry I scared you all like I did. Good-byes are hard. That's why I never say them. By the way, if the little short shit you have running around the house calls me the bloody lady, smack her for me, would you? It's not my fault I had to stain a perfectly good tank top to fake my death and keep those damn guards from carting my to jail. Just made it out before they were gonna cart me to the morgue. I'll be back…..Eventually. Enclosed is a certain snapshot that I think you'll like. Have it framed and hang it on your wall, but don't you dare throw it out or I'll send you another.   
  
Iria paused and turned to Kei. "Where's the photo?"  
Kei grinned and handed it to her. "I wanted to look at it a while longer. Wish I was there. Think we can get it enlarged? I'd like a poster."  
Iria and Fujikuro turned various shades of red at once and Kei laughed. After a moment, Iria continued reading.  
  
Just don't forget your old buddy Shiv when you're making the invite list for the wedding.  
  
Iria and Fujikuro turned red again.   
  
Stop blushing, you know I'm right. See you around.   
  
~Shiv~  
PS I kept the negatives.  
  
Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other again. Suddenly, Iria turned to Kei. "Kei, what is that you're playing with?"  
"This." Kei held up a slender stiletto knife with flame-like edges. "The lady gave it to me. She told me to keep it. Said she'd be back for it someday. Can I keep it?"  
Iria smiled. "Sure, kid. You can keep it." Turning to Fujikuro, she asked him, "So, what kind of stationary do you want?"  
He turned the color of Iria's hair again and Kei hit the floor laughing.  
  
******  
Well, that's all for this one, but trust me, the sequel will be up shortly. Thanks to those that stuck with me this far through the insanity. BTW again, first person to tell me where I got the line about a wolf's head cut off gets the first chapter of the sequel before I post it on FanFiction.net. Sugoi, neh?   
Until the sequel...  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


End file.
